This was an adjustment week for me. I’m coming off vacation, and things just didn’t get done.

It’s funny; they say vacations are relaxing, but I always feel worse when they’re over.

This particular vacation wasn’t downtime at a beach or lake. It was a trip home. We celebrated my daughter’s high school graduation with our extended family, because no loved ones live near us.

Going home was wonderful because I got to meet the twins (niece/nephew) and my great-nephew. I also got to see two of the other family toddlers I’ve only seen once or twice, and I got to spend time with my 99-year-old grandmother, whom I adore and cherish. And, of course, I got to visit all our other family members, too.

But getting the party planned and pulled off was a feat, especially long-distance for most of it. And the last minute scramble to find a hall instead of having it at the pool kind of sucked, although it worked out just fine. (Thank you, one day of rain at the worst possible time.)

Combine that stress with all the demands on our time and the 1,000-mile drive there and back, and I’m sure you can understand why this particular vacation wasn’t restful.

The quote I chose this week isn’t necessarily author-exclusive, although it can apply to the writer/reader relationship. It is, however, precisely how I’m feeling.

Did the blogosphere and social media even notice I was gone?

Did anyone in town miss me in my absence?

Does my family care that we’ve left again? If they do, is it because they miss us, or is it because our staying there was a strain on their comfortable routines?

Does my absence from loved ones bother them as much as it bothers me?

I am struggling with feelings of inadequacy and unwantedness, which seems to be the norm when I go home. Everything gets out of whack, my schedule gets shot. It’s difficult to get back into my routine. And I’m physically and emotionally drained for a while. I have mountains of laundry to do, I just managed to get to the grocery store yesterday (and spent far too much money there), and I’m woefully behind on everything.

Vacations are not restful for me.

But… things are normalizing. I expect to be back to my regular posting schedule tomorrow. I don’t know when, if ever, I’ll manage to catch up. But you’ll be the first to know when I do.

21 thoughts on “Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links”

Yes, yes, you were missed! I’m so used to chatting with you either on blogs, SE, by email, Twitter, SOMETHING almost every day and you weren’t there. I was hoping you were having an awesome time with family, and while I’m sure you enjoyed seeing everyone and vice-versa, I know it had to be hard managing everything long distance and then having so much disruption.

My family all live close by, so we never have that issue of are we putting anyone out. The travel by car sounds rough, especially taking the dogs along. Oy on sharing the back seat with them!

And I know it’s hard getting back into the swing of things. There is always so much to do and so much you left waiting unfinished I’m sure. Sometimes, when I come back from vacation I feel more stressed out than when I left because the deadlines and to-do lists have mutated.

We miss you, so don’t worry, it’s because we love you. Not because you’re an inconvenience. Or maybe I only feel that way because I’m also an inconvenience when I go home. Can’t speak for anyone else. Either way, my son adored you and the trip to see you, albeit brief, was worth it. ❤️

I missed you! Checked your blog to see if I’d missed posts, then remembered your daughter’s party. We felt the same way very recently (like we were pulling family away from routine), so I get what you’re saying, Staci. And being in the car that long is never fun – especially when you have laundry and grocery shopping waiting at home. Sometimes chocolate helps – you should give it a shot.

I missed you, too! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who feels like I’m bothering people when I visit. I’m sure they don’t feel that way, that it’s just me. I just don’t ever want to be a bother.

That car ride was miserable. Because of work, my husband flew in later than us and flew out earlier, so it was me, the kids, and the two dogs in the car. My son brought a friend to help drive (and I actually did some work as we traveled) so I sat in the back with my daughter and the boys were up front. The friend never drove (my son did each 1,000-mile trip himself), but the friend did navigate, and he got us off course twice on the way back, adding about an hour and a half to our time. Which wouldn’t have been too bad (like I said, I was working, so I probably wouldn’t have noticed), but the cargo net holds snapped, forcing the dogs out of the back and onto me and my daughter for the last five hours. At that point, I had to put my computer away and essentially hold a 100-pound Labrador on my lap. (My daughter took the 90-poiunder.) That wasn’t fun.

And I still have laundry. Maybe there’s something to your chocolate theory. I should try that…

Thanks, Craig. I missed chatting with you, as well. I think you might be right about the drive and the downtime thing. I simply don’t know how to relax. Maybe when I’m through my to-do list. (Yep, I laughed as I wrote that.)

I currently have several lists going, most with very little crossover to the others. My “Notes” app is probably one of my worst offenders of memory resources. Sigh. I should probably add cleaning up my old files to a list…

I think we all grapple with those kind of feelings and issues after a ‘family’ vacation. Love them but geez sometimes…. between you and me, my family gave me some serious grief yesterday and kind of along the lines of what you are grappling with (especially about whether they miss you or are happy to get back to their routines). So I feel your pain and offer you a great big virtual hug 🤗
Welcome back and I can assure you, we missed you!